NSTU scientists are developing a voltage converter for powering a wired unmanned aerial vehicle. A device capable of controlling the parameters of electrical energy will increase the continuous operation time of the UAV.
The national project "Unmanned Aircraft Systems" has made it possible to bring the industry related to the development of drones to a new level. UAVs are widely used in various fields of activity, from monitoring to parcel delivery. The main source of power for compact UAVs is rechargeable batteries, but their limited energy supply makes it difficult to use battery-powered UAVs in some areas of activity.
The solution to the problem is to wirelessly connect the UAV to a ground-based power source via a voltage converter with an intermediate high-voltage direct current line. According to Sergey Kuchak, Associate Professor of the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Candidate of Technical Sciences, NSTU-NETI, the basis for the development will be wide-band semiconductor devices, circuit solutions based on resonant circuits and planar transformers. The described solutions will reduce the mass and dimensions of the converter, which is critically important for UAVs.
The scientist noted that the project was supported by the Russian Science Foundation. The advantage of the development, in addition to improving technical characteristics, is that it will allow for import substitution of similar developments.
"The target consumers of the development are companies producing unmanned aerial vehicles. Aerofregat LLC acts as a qualified customer of the project. The company is ready to assist in flight tests of the developed samples, which are scheduled for the end of 2027," emphasized Sergey Kuchak.